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About this Stuff This Ice Breaker and Group Dymanics list has been compiled from numerous searches across the web. Any Ice Breaker activity listed here is the property of its rightful owner. I just wanted to put them all in one place! It's a huge list, so scroll down, they are in no particular order. There a few duplicates with a bit different directions. They will be better organized in time. So read on. Enjoy. BREAK THE ICE!

What are Ice Breakers? Ice Breakers are ways to introduce people, allow people to get to know each other better, and get people mingling for an event. They can be great to use during staff meetings, floor meetings, to kick off a program, or as a program themselves. Ice breakers are a great way to begin a meeting. They help to relax participants, and that makes them more receptive to listening and contributing. An ice breaker can also serve to build a team atmosphere and to generate enthusiasm. Ice breakers can be fun, amusing, humorous, thoughtful, surprising or just plain silly. The days of one-liner jokes as ice breakers are gone, and there are many new creative ideas. The most popular are games that have participants reveal something personal about themselves, or which encourage participants to get to know each other personally. The idea is that more than just having fun, the ice breaker will truly help to create group cohesion based on trust and understanding. One of the tricks of an icebreaker is timing. It should not be too long otherwise the serious work of the meeting will not be given enough time. It should not be so short that participants feel it was a perfunctory exercise. Timing also depends on the size of the group, the overall length of the event, and the purpose of the event. An all-day retreat might warrant a half hour ice breaker, but a one-hour meeting may merit only a minute or two. The following are some ideas compiled by category, and gathered from a variety of sources:

FARMYARD The demonstrator whispers to each guest the name of an animal. At a given signal they are to imitate the sound of that animal, whether it be a cow, pig, chicken, cock, donkey, horse, etc. When they sound like a riotous farmyard, they are told to stop. The guests are to write down the names of all the animals they heard, the one with the longest list wins a prize. BALLOONS IN THE AIR Give everyone an inflated balloon. The balloons should be in different colours or with identifiable marks on them. Everyone tosses his balloon in the air and tries to keep it in the air as long as possible. In the meanwhile, he must try to get everyone else's balloons to touch the floor. When a person's balloon touches the floor, he is out. The person who keeps his balloon in the air the longest, wins. BALLOON BLOW-UP Have everyone pairs up and give each person a balloon. Each pair designates a left and a right person. The partners stand facing each other about six inches apart. When you call "left", the "left" person blows into his balloon. Give him a few seconds, then call "right", the right person then blows into his balloon. Do this repeatedly. The idea is to literally "blow-up" the balloon in the partner's face before he can blow up his. A BAG OF FUN Equipment: 6 Pairs of old stockings, 2 blindfolds, 2 pairs of gloves, and 2 paper bags. * Ask for 2 volunteers. Ask them to remove their right shoe. Blindfold them, and have each put on a pair of gloves and give them a bag containing several pairs of old nylon stockings. Award a prize to the one who succeeds in getting all the stockings in the bag over their foot. It is a riot of fun because the gloves make it difficult to tell the top of the stockings from the foot. The other guests get the laugh of a lifetime. Just try it!

A GAME FOR CHRISTMAS TIME Ask the guests to write their names vertically down the back of a paper. Give them three minutes to make a list of Christmas gifts, using each letter to start the name of the gift. Try to make up as many possible beginning with each letter. The guest with the greatest number wins the prize. ALL THUMBS RELAY Equipment: Wrapped sweets, 2 paper bags and two pairs of men's large thick gloves. Divide the guests into two teams. The first in line of each team is given a paper bag filled with wrapped sweets and a pair of men's thick gloves. Each guest in turn has to take the gloves out of the bag, put them on, choose a sweet, unwrap it, and put it in their mouth. They then have to take off the gloves, return them to the bag, and pass it to next guest in the team. Fist team to finish wins a chocolate each. ANSWER YES Ask questions and if the guest answer with a "Yes" they must get up from their chair and move one place to their left. They may end up sitting on someone's lap or two laps. Here are the questions which you can vary with your own: Do you have black shoes on? Did you walk here? Do you have three or more children? Are you wearing earrings? Are you wearing pearls? Do you have blue jeans on? Is it your birthday this month? Are you wearing the colour red? Etc. The first person to get back to her original seat is the winner of a chocolate! APPOINTMENTS Give everybody a few minutes to make 3 appointments - 3 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm. After that have everyone stand in a circle. When you shout "3 pm", everybody meets their 3 pm appointment and find out 1, 2 or 3 things about each other. After a short while shout, "6 pm" and then "9 pm". After that have people share what they find out about each other. This game can be used for introduction where people introduce other people, instead of themselves. ATLAS Arrange everyone in a circle. Someone say the name of any country, city, river, ocean or mountain that could be found in an atlas. The person next to him must then say another name that begins with the last alphabet of the word that has been given. Example: First person: Auckland Second person: Denver Third person: Rotorua Each person has a definite time limit (e.g. 3 seconds) and no name can be repeated. BANANA DUEL Have everyone pair up and tie their left wrist together. Give each a banana to hold in their left hand. When you say "go", they peel the banana with only their right hand and try to push it in their partner's face/mouth. You may want to do this blindfolded to add excitement. BATTLE OF THE NUTS Give each person a peanut and have them pair up. They should try to crack their partner's peanuts by pushing their peanuts against one another. Those with cracked peanut are out. Do this in round until only one or a few peanuts are left not cracked. BIG SCULPTURE Divide the group into two teams. Give each team five large garbage bags and as many blown-up balloons as possible. Have them create a huge human figure by putting the blown-up balloons in the bags and attaching the bags together within a definite time limit. The best sculpture wins. BINGO Guests are asked to choose 10 letters from the alphabet and list them on the back of their papers. The demonstrator calls off letters of the alphabet at random and guests cross corresponding letters off their lists. The first one to cross all the letter of their list then calls Hallelujah. If she calls "Bingo" they loose and the game continues BLINDED BY MONEY Pair everyone up and form a big circle. Give each pair two coins. One person in each pair tilts his head back and places a coin on each eyelid with eyes closed (no peeping!). Put a big container in the centre (e.g. a garbage can). The object is for each person to dump their coins into the container, following the verbal direction of their partner. No physical guiding by the partner is allowed. If any coin dropped, the person should pick it up and start all over again. The fun comes when all the pairs go at once, crowding around the container, blinded by money, trying to hear their partner's direction. BLOW OR BUST Equipment: Balloon and large biscuit to each guest. Start the game by getting each guest to blow up a balloon and eat a biscuit at the same time. The guest who has a fully blown balloon and has eaten their biscuit wins a prize. They have to take a bite - blow the balloon, take a bite, blow the baloon...etc.

BRAIN TEASERS Hand out copies of any of the following "IQ Tests". Each block represents a well known phrase or saying. You may divide a large group to teams of three or four. Give a time limit. The team with the most correct answers wins. PLASMA H2O HIGH CLOUDS 13579 WHELMING EILNPU PICT RES Headache Arrest You're EMPLOY MENT LESODUB TENNIS Answer: Blood is thicker than water Line up You're under arrest High above the clouds You ought to be in the pictures Men out of work/job/employment Overwhelming odds Splitting headache Mixed doubles tennis KJUSTK WRitING LOV T RN 24 Hours B ILL ED PETS A Gettingitall 1T3456 Answers: Just in case No U Turn A Step Backward Put it in writing Call it a day Getting it all together Endless love Ill/Sick in bed Tea for two BRIGHT EYES Equipment: Large drawing of a face, 2 buttons to each guest. The demonstrator places a large drawing of a face on the floor and each guest in turn attempts to drop a pair of bright buttons to form the eyes of the face. The most accurately place eyes wins a prize. CAMPUS LIFE WORD LIST GAME Give everyone a piece of paper and ask them to write down as many words as possible from the letters in the words "CAMPUS LIFE", (e.g. camp, camps, us, came etc.) No proper names or slang words are allowed. You may use other longer words and have the people work in pairs or small groups. CAN YOU FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS A READ AND DO TESTS Time Limit: 3 min. 1. Read all that follows before doing anything. 2. Write your name in the upper right-hand corner of this page. 3. Circle the word "corner" in sentence two. 4. Draw five small squares in upper left hand corner of this page. 5. Put an "X" on each square. 6. Put a circle around each square.

7. Sign your name under line 5. 8. After your name, write "yes, yes, yes". 9. Put a circle around number 7. 10. Put an "X" in the lower-left-hand corner of this page. 11. Draw a triangle around the "X" you just made. 12. Call out your first name when you get to this point. 13. On the reverse side of this paper add 6950 and 9805. 14. Put a circle around your answer. 15. Now that you have finished reading carefully, do only number 1 and 2. PLEASE BE QUIET AND WATCH THE OTHERS FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. CHIT CHAT Use any combination of these to break the ice .... * What was the happiest moment of your life * Tell us about your first date * What is the greatest regret of your life * The greatest compliment I ever received * Let me tell you about my best earthly friend * The hardest thing I have ever done * Describe a typical Tuesday in your life * My greatest disappointment * The gift I will never forget (apart form my conversion) * The thing I most enjoy in my spare time * What is your favourite time of day * What is one thing you would like your obituary to say about you * Share one of your strengths and one of your weaknesses * What is your favourite spot in your home or yard * My favourite comic strip is * People might be surprised to find out that I ........... * Using weather terminology, how would you describe your week - stormy, sunny, partly cloudy, foggy, etc. COORDINATED JUMP Have the entire group get in a circle. Everyone put their arms over the shoulders of the persons on their left and right. On the word GO, everyone must jump (feet off the ground) at the same instant. The ones who do not (too fast or too slow), go out of the group. Repeat until only a few are left. These are the winners. CORE GROUP Divide the group into teams of five or six. Have one person in each team begin with an apple in his mouth (roast pig style). At the signal, he passes the apple to the person on the right. As the second person takes the apple with his mouth (no hands allowed), the first person takes a bite out of it. At the end of the time limit, the team that has eaten most of their apple wins. CROSSING THE RIVER Equipment: Folded newspapers. Here is a blindfold game which is great fun. The demonstrator places a number of folded newspapers on the floor with spaces between. These represent rocks across a river and the guests have to try to cross without getting their feet wet. Each guest, one by one, in turn is started on their way with feet firmly on one "rock", carefully noting the position, and if they get their feet wet more than 2 time, they are disqualified. The position of the "rocks" may be changed from time to time. The guests who safely "cross the river" win prizes. DISCLOSURE Procure a softball. Arrange the participants in a circle. Throw the ball to one person and ask the individual to disclose something unusual about himself. He can then throw the ball to anyone he choose and repeat the process. DO THIS AND ADD SOMETHING Get everyone in a circle. One person starts off by performing an action (e.g. scratching his head). The person on his right must then repeat it and add another action. The game goes on with each having to repeat all the previous actions in order, then adding one. If a player misses an action or gets fouled up, he is out. You can go as many rounds as you want. DONUT WHOLE Divide the group into teams and have each team choose a leader. The teams are then split into halves and positioned on both sides of the room with the leader in the middle. Each leader is given a donut, preferably the sticky one which he places on one index finger. At the signal, he crosses back and forth with the donut on the finger, giving team members bites. The winner is the team which had everyone bit the donut, leaving the last donut at the end with the ring intact. DOTTY DRAWING On the back of the Papers, ask each guest to draw six large dots in any position. Collect the papers, shuffle them and hand them out. Be sure no one gets her own. Then ask guests to make a drawing, using the dots as the main framework. The Prize goes to the guest with the most original drawing. Note: They may not add any extra dots FARMYARD The demonstrator whispers to each guest the name of an animal. At a given signal they are to imitate the

sound of that animal, whether it be a cow, pig, chicken, cock, donkey, horse, etc. When they sound like a riotous farmyard, they are told to stop. The guests are to write down the names of all the animals they heard, the one with the longest list wins a prize. FOR SALE Ask each guest to write on the back of their papers an advertisement for their local newspaper, offering and ancient article of furniture in the "For sale" section. They write "For Sale" at the top, leaving a blank space and then write the advertisement, which should not mention the name of the article. When they have finished the laughter begins. You tell them that they have just described their husbands and wives, or best friend, and they should write his or her name in the blank space and read the advertisement out aloud. FRIENDSHIP QUESTIONS (QUAKER QUESTIONS) Explain these questions have been used by hundreds of people to get acquainted with each other. None of them require sharing about areas of our life we wish to keep private. Unlike discussion questions, it is best for Friendship Questions to be answered by progressing in order around the circle. As facilitator, state the first question and then answer it yourself. Your answers will set the tone for all the rest. If you are brief, others will be brief. If you are lengthy in your answers, others will be lengthy. Spend no more than one minute per person on each question: 1. Where did you live between the ages of 7 and 12 and how many brothers and sisters did you have? 2. What kind of transportation did your family use? 3. Who was the person you felt closest to? 4. When did God become more than a word to you? FUNNY FACES Have the participants arrange themselves in a circle. An appointed player turns to the person next to him and makes a funny face or assumes a funny posture. That person mimics the gesture, passing it on quickly to the next person, and so on around the circle. When the funny face has completed the circuit, another person begins, until all or as many persons as possible have had a chance to initiate the facemaking. GARBAGE PASS RELAY Divide into teams. Each team tries to pass a paper garbage bag down to the end of their line. It is placed over the head of the first person in line. When the go signal is given, the second person in line goes under the bag with the first person. As soon as the first person gets out, the third person goes under the bag with the second. The process continues until the bag gets all the way to the end of the line. GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE This game provides an opportunity for release of tensions. Pair up all participants. Instruct participants to talk simultaneously, sharing any complaints, reservations, resentments, grievances, irritations or concerns they have on their minds. When one member runs out of issues to disclose, he is then to say, "grumble, grumble" until all participants are done. Call a halt to the exercise when it is apparent that the negative energy has dissipated and only superficial "grumbling" is present. HAT TRICK Form a circle. Put a derby type hat on one person. The object is for him to get it on the next person's head without using hands, arms teeth or legs. You may divide the group into two and have a competition. HOG TIED Divide the group into two or three. Have them sit in a circle facing outward. Give each group a ball of string or yarn of equal length. At the signal, the groups are to wrap themselves up securely in the string. The group that finishes first, wins. HORSE RACING Equipment: A Dice. In this racing game guests line up at one end of the room. The farthest end is the winning post (marked by a chair, for instance) The guests take turns to throw the dice. Each number turned up represents the amount of shoe lengths they are entitled to step towards the winning post. First guest to reach the winning post marker wins a prize. HOW ARE YOU FEELING? Give everybody a piece of blank paper (same size). Flash the following words, written on a big piece of paper or on a transparency. ANXIETY FORGIVENESS GUILT SORROW HEALING REJECTED PEACE PAIN COMFORT LOVE ACCEPTANCE HOPE Ask everyone to write down on his paper the word that describes either how he is feeling or what he wants Jesus to bring to him now. Place all the papers in the centre of the group and mix them well. Pick

up a piece of paper. Read the word on the paper and open up the time for anyone in the group to share a phrase or verse which might encourage the person whose paper has been picked. You may pick as many paper as you have time for. HUMAN SPIDER WEB Divide the group into teams of 6-8 persons. Have each team move to a location that allows them to stand in a small circle. Instruct members of each group to extend their right hands across the circle and grasp the left hands of the other members who are approximately opposite them. Then have them extend their left hands across the circle and grasp the right hands of other individuals. Inform them that their task is to unravel the spider web of interlocking arms without letting go of anyone's hands. They will be competing with the other groups to see who finishes the task first. I PACKED MY TRUNK FOR CHINA The first player says, "I packed my trunk for China and took an apple (or any other object that begins with "A"). The next player repeats the sentence, including the "A" word and adds a "B" word. Each successive player recites the sentence with all the alphabetical items, adding one of his own. (e.g. "I packed my trunk for China and took an apple and a bread). The player continues as long as they can or until they have completed the alphabet. ICE BREAKING QUESTIONS Where did you live between the ages of 9 & 12? * Who is the person closest to you? * What was one of the happiest moments in your life? * Who was your best friend when you were younger? * Describe the worst thing you ever had to wear to school. * Who was your favourite music group in high school? * Who was your favourite teacher in school, and for what subject? * What time period would you have lived in, if you could have lived at any time? * What Biblical character inspires you the most? (Besides Jesus) * What would you do if you had won a million Rand? (can't be spiritual) * What historical (non-Biblical) figure interests you the most? (Besides Jesus) * Describe your favourite cousin. * What is your favourite style of music? (Christian isn't a style) * What is your favourite piece of art? (it doesn't have to be famous) * Whose eyes are most like yours in the room? * How are you like your mom? Your dad? * What is your favourite worship song? * What is your favourite praise song? * If you were unlimited by money, where would you spend a vacation? * What planet would you visit if you could go to any one? * What is your favourite hobby? * What is the meaning of your name? * What is your favourite book? * What is your favourite Bible verse? * How did you end up at this cell? * How did you meet your best friend or spouse? * What would you like to be known for? * Where were you born? * What is your favourite family Christmas tradition? * Tell an unusual fact about yourself. * Describe the favourite place you've lived in. * What kind of car did your family have when you were growing up? * What is your dream car? * How many brothers and sisters do you have? * If you could not fail, what would you do? * If you were going to live on the moon and could take one thing with you, what would you take? (Besides your Bible) * If your house were on fire, what is the one thing you would grab (assuming all family and pets were safely out)? * What is the hardest thing you ever had to do? * Do you have any phobias? * What do you do when you have free time I'M GLAD I'M HERE Tell the group that you're glad to be there. Then say, "If I am not here today, I will be ...................." (share something that you're glad you don't have to do, e.g. wash your car). Then go around the room asking, "If you weren't here today, what would you be doing that you're glad you don't have to?" Try to keep the answers light and fast moving. INNOVATIVE INTRODUCTION You can do any of the following or all of them: 1. Instruct everyone to take two items (e.g. Family picture, credit card) from their purses, wallets or pockets. Then use the items to introduce or say something about themselves. 2. Ask each person to state his name and attach an adjective that not only describes a dominant characteristic, but also starts with the first letter of his name. (e.g. Martin - Marvellous Martin, Siew Ling Lovely Ling) 3. Have everyone share a nickname that they now have, once had, or would like to have and then explain the reason or story behind the name INSTANT STUNT As each person enters the room, he receives a slip of paper with a silly stunt described on it. E.g. Stand on a char, bark like a dog, dance around. When the signal is given, all participants perform their stunt simultaneously. Give them a few minutes to look at one another and laugh. KNOCKING OFF HATS Put some hats or caps in the middle of the room. Ask everyone to choose one and put it on. (You can also ask everyone to bring a hat or cap of their choice to the meeting). Give everyone a rolled up

newspaper. They must hit each other hat off without losing their own. They are not allowed to hold their own hats on. LEADER OF THE BAND Ask all participants to stand up and make sufficient room around themselves so as not to interfere with free movement of their arms. Then tell them that they are the conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Have them close their eyes. Play a selection of music and ask them all to simultaneously lead the orchestra. (This works best if you have carefully selected the music. Try as much as possible to make sure that the music is familiar to all and is relatively fast-paced to stimulate energetic directing). After a while, when they have began to conduct freely, ask them to do it with their eyes open. Help them relax and enjoy themselves as they do so. MAGIC CIRCLE This icebreaker can be used to illustrate the multiplicity of meanings of words. Divide the group into teams of 5-7 people. On a prepared set of 3" x 5" cards, a series of words or phrases are written. (one on each card e.g. motivation; put-down, I feel good when ...) The team leader pulls a card out and a few persons are asked to state what the word means to them, or in the case of sentence completion, continue the statement. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Equipment: Record player, or piano. Group the guests in a circle, and give each one the name of the musical instrument they should imitate playing. Start the music. They all begin the action of playing their "instruments". When the demonstrator shouts, "Left", they hand their "instruments" to the guest on the left, and take over the "instrument" form the right. A mistake and the guests fall out. Continue until one person remains the winner. MY FAVORITES Give everybody a copy of "Exercise in self-disclosure" and give them a few minutes to fill it in. Have everybody share what they have written. Then suggest that their answers t